Water district mulls future of surplus land in west county
Published: Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 6:48 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 6:48 p.m.
Some 900 acres of west county land, parts of it heavily wooded and a section with Russian River access, have the potential for public use, as well as to make money for the area’s small water district.
Selling some of the land would be a plus for the Sweetwater Springs Water District, which has $12 million in bond debt and a $1 million annual capital improvement program, said General Manager Steve Mack.
“It would be nice to make money, but it is a land management issue. We have this land and are not doing anything with it,” Mack said.
The district serves 9,000 people in homes and businesses in Guerneville, Rio Nido, Guernewood Park, Villa Grande and Monte Rio with water from wells alongside the Russian River.
The surplus land is drawing interest from open space groups, including LandPaths, a nonprofit that manages the nearby Willow Creek State Park.
“We are certainly very interested in seeing what we can do to keep these lands in open space and make them publicly accessible,” said LandPaths Executive Director Craig Anderson. “We would look for ways to fundraise ... West County is rich with neighborhood groups, mountain bikers, equestrians and flora and fauna folks.”
Dennis O’Leary of the Russian River Watershed Protection Committee said there are more than a dozen springs on the land that should be kept available as backup water supplies.
The committee also doesn’t know why the district needs to sell the land when it could create an agreement with other agencies to use and manage it.
“They use the term ‘sell,’ that word ‘sell.’ We’re saying sell is not the accurate word, because these are public properties,” O’Leary said. “If they are looking for an open space or trail group or park and recreation group, it should be a transfer from one public entity to another.”
Mack said the excess land was owned by the Citizens Utilities Water District, which was acquired by the public agency for $6 million in 1988. It represents an accumulation of parcels used for such things as tank sites and wells over the past century.
One parcel covers 400 acres on Mount Jackson near Rio Nido and another spans 300 acres adjacent to Monte Rio Terraces. Both are accessible only by hiking trails.
There are river access parcels at Moscow Road, Drake Road and River Lane. Another 30 small parcels, from 4,000 square feet to a half acre, are scattered throughout the district’s service area.
The land has not been appraised yet, Mack said.
There are no proposals yet for the Mount Jackson land, but the water district is interested in keeping it open space, Mack said.
The only preliminary proposal so far is from the Monte Rio Recreation and Parks District, which is interested in the 300-acre parcel for a new park.
“These are used for open space now, but with a little management it could be part of an effort to make Monte Rio-Guerneville an eco-tourism area,” Mack said. “If you could walk all the way from Monte Rio to the coast, that would be a neat thing to do.”
The water district board will discuss prospects for the land and how any money may be spent at its Oct. 7 meeting, Mack said.
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